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Best CAVE Stages

Started by adverse, April 02, 2010, 12:28:06 PM

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adverse

Played Deathsmiles MBL today with a friend and reflected on how awesome a stage the Ice Palace is.

What are your top 5 CAVE stages?  If there is a particular difficulty/mode you like that stage in, mention that too.

1.  Deathsmiles MBL Ice Palace
     -Shit flying everywhere, yes the scoring is unbalanced, but delightfully so.  Hoping it will be even more manic in 1.1.
2.  Daifukkatsu 1.5 Stage 3 (Ura)
     -Milking the shit out of bullets/lasers in the first part of the stage, then jacking the chain up on the laser emplacement.  Carrying that all the way through the mid-boss and all the way to the end is a great feeling.
3.  Mushi Futari Black Label Stage 5
    -The stage design here is awesome from start to finish, in 1.5 as well.  But IIRC, all modes in BL can utilize the lanterns which leads to more interesting scoring set-ups in BL. 
4.  Daioujou Stage 2
    -An excellent stage once you knit together your strategy.  Building up everything through the mid-boss and then capitalizing on the free-for-all at the end, blowing the shit out tanks and buildings is just awesome.  Excellent pacing.
5.  Mushi Futari Black Label Stage 4 God Mode
    -Just retarded when played well by a good player, especially that replay EOJ posted awhile back in Ura Loop. 


Plasmo

Pink Sweets Stage 6

The ultimate stage.

zlk

Donpachi stage 2-4 at highest rank.  No one has EVER cleared it while maintaining the capacity bonus.  Considering the popularity of the donpachi series and calibre of the people that have played the game seriously, that says something about its difficutly. 

necpmf

Dodonpachi stage 6, either loop. There's so many different enemies and different styles of shot patterns. Entirely different routes depending on your ship/type.

neomoe

One of mine is stage 4 of the original Mushi (ps2 port).  I just think the background, enemies and the music come together perfectly, it's like some kind of religious experience  :P

JOW

Seconding DSMBL Ice Palace and Futari Stage 5.

Deathsmiles Castle also deserves a mention in IMO.

Not necessarily for the scoring mechanics but for it's dramatic direction:

  • After descending into the Castle you begin a weaving a ascent to it's summit - you must get there before Midnight
  • You reach the Castle's peak on the stroke of Midnight, only to be confronted by The Gate Keeper
  • After an intense battle, the Gate Keeper submits and  'The Gate' to another dimension opens, only for The Gate Keeper to be eaten by the Hellish Monstrosity that emerges from The Gate!
  • The final gloriously intense battle ensues against Evil Incarnate - all backed by a fantastic rendition of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

While these are all massive cliches, when they are executed as well have Cave have with DS, they are what video gaming is all about.

The only issue with DS's finale is that Tyrannosatan does look a bit comical. It's the way his arms move as if they were on strings - it's all a bit Jim Henson  :laugh:

NR777

Futari Stage 5 is awesome.  So amazingly fun.

HVL

Quote from: NR777 on April 02, 2010, 02:11:22 PM
Futari Stage 5 is awesome.  So amazingly fun.

This. I also agree w/ the lamps, it's awesome when you're chaining the lamps and shit's getting converted to gems.

Jockel

Quote from: neomoe on April 02, 2010, 01:16:10 PM
One of mine is stage 4 of the original Mushi (ps2 port).  I just think the background, enemies and the music come together perfectly, it's like some kind of religious experience  :P
This, in Maniac and Arrange.

emphatic

ESPGALUDA stage 4. Intensive, fun, great music, great scoring opportunities.  :righton:

dimmu--borgir

Stage 5 Muchi Muchi Pork. Can't get enough of the 10000 pigs...

EOJ

Yes, Stage 5 in Muchi Muchi Pork is probably the best. Ice Palace in DSMBL is also great (but only on the PCB version, IMO - they totally ruined this stage in the X360 port). Other favorites include Futari's Stage 5, Espgaluda II's Stage 4, Mushihimesama's Stage 3, Pink Sweets' Stage 4, and Daifukkatsu's Stage 3.
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fuse

Stage 4 Mushi for me too. Really love the design, and the music is awesome.


dmauro

Mushi stage 3 beetleship. Love it.
DOJ stage 1. The cityscape right in the beginning is so goood, and it's just a really fun stage.
Mushi Futari stage 2. Flying jellyfish, tons of icicles for maximum scoring. :)

necpmf

Oh god how could I not mention stage 4 of Mushi?!

Definitely my favorite bullet pattern style, much more Dodonpachi-esque than the other stages with its imperfectly-aimed straight lines of shots. Awesome art and this amazing calming music. Also DOJ stage 5 with its Ghosts of Dodonpachi Past. The stage starts and it's like "hey it's the first stage of Dodonpachi! This stage was easy!" Then you get slammed with a giant wall of bullets. Actually, all of the stages in DOJ are awesome.

Schrodingers cat

Mushi 1 stages 3 and 5.  But stage 5 is definitely my favorite in the game.  It gets pretty crazy with the large bullet cancelling enemies shooting at you while popcorn enemies are flanking you from the side.  The tension and relief from dodging and killing those enemies is totally exhilarating. 

Other favorite stages of mine include Futari stage 5 and DDP stage 4, especially towards the end.

Monouchi

Futari stage 5: The patterns, the dragon, the music!

Everytime I get through stage 3 I am sailing through stage 4 thinking about that soon I will play stage 5.  =D

skykid


Some of my faves:


Guwange Stage 3 - ye olde ghost town

Mushi Stage 4 - The music is some of Cave's/Namiki's best ever. Euphoric experience.

Espgaluda 2 Stage 3 - The mid-boss coinciding with the music drop is pure nirvana.

Futari Stage 5 (again) - It's frantic as hell and the music is superb.

DDP DOJ Stage 4 - It's horribly difficult, but beautiful when you get it right.  :)

DSMBL - Ice Palace (PCB - not played the 360 ver.) - almost like a different game!


Quote from: SuperPangWhere DOJ rapes you, DFK grabs your boob then runs away

Jockel

Quote from: skykid on April 03, 2010, 06:40:48 AM
Espgaluda 2 Stage 3 - The mid-boss coinciding with the music drop is pure nirvana.
This. But in Ketsui Stage 4.  =D

Van_Artic

Quote from: fuse on April 02, 2010, 06:22:49 PM
Stage 4 Mushi for me too. Really love the design, and the music is awesome.
damn right
Stage 5 is good as well

skykid

Quote from: Jockel on April 03, 2010, 06:43:50 AM
Quote from: skykid on April 03, 2010, 06:40:48 AM
Espgaluda 2 Stage 3 - The mid-boss coinciding with the music drop is pure nirvana.
This. But in Ketsui Stage 4.  =D

Agreed. I love most stages in Ketsui though.  :)
Quote from: SuperPangWhere DOJ rapes you, DFK grabs your boob then runs away

spl

Quote from: Van_Artic on April 03, 2010, 06:46:14 AM
Quote from: fuse on April 02, 2010, 06:22:49 PM
Stage 4 Mushi for me too. Really love the design, and the music is awesome.
damn right
Stage 5 is good as well

I like Stage 5 Mushi too with those big plants and things. Feels like flying thru a garden.